In this issue FUNDAMENTALS OF SPIRAL GROOVE NONCONTACTING FACE SEALS RALPH P. GABRIEL Crane Packing Company The sealing of gas may be accomplished using contacting or noncontacting seal arrangements. The oncontacting spiral groove end face seal is one of various approsctie to seeing gauss wah single This paper discusses the typical arrangements in Which the spiral groove seal can be used. It also ‘dialect te tei cia ieee ac asa aes ‘explains the basic principles of seal operation and the effects that design parameters and normal operating conditions have on this type of seal. The materials of construction that are practical for use in this seal will also be discussed. Presented athe 34d Annual Meeting "n Dearborn Michigan. ‘Ape 1720, 1978INTRODUCTION Contacting end face seals are still a relatively new de- velopment, geting their start in the early part of this cen- tury. The sealing of gas with contacting seals is ac ‘complished through the use of a double seal arrangement using a pressurized liquid barrier to provide lubrication and cooling for the seal faces. With the advent of high pressure, igh speed equipment, contacting seals were approaching, limits, where heat generation and face wear is excessive, for successful seal operation. ‘A more recent and novel approach to the problem of seal ing gas is the use of a single noncontacting face seal. The spiral groove seal was developed as an offshoot of spiral _groove bearing technology in the 9607s, By designing a seal to operate at a clearance, a continuous fluid film is able to exist between the sealing faces, drastically lowering heat ‘generation and eliminating facial wear. Along with this de- velopment came the need to redefine the fundamentals in- volved in the sealing of gases with the use of noncontacting spiral groove seals paper deals with these fundamentals, illustrating the sealing arrangements available and outlining the principles involved in the operation ofthe seal. Effects that operating conditions have on seal performance and materials of con- struction are also discussed to aid in the understanding of this seal PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION The principle of spiral groove face seal operation is that, of a hydrostatic and hydrodynamic force balance. When pressure is applied to a seal, the forces exerted on the seal ing members are called hydrostatic forces, These forces are both when the seal is stationary and rotating. Hy- Arodynamic forces are generated by mechanical means such as spiral grooves and are present only during dynamic operat The spiral groove pattern plays an important role in the ‘operation of the seal (Fig. 1). The spiral grooves provide a cans of achieving a converging sealing gap. A converging sealing gap may be achieved with other shapes such ast pered pads, an arcor Rayleigh pads. ‘The spiral grooves, in Fig. Spiral groove patien ‘general, have more uniform pressure distributions, are more flexible and have a better developed theoretical moa than the other shapes. The groove pattern is a series ‘of logarithmic spirals which are normally recessed into one ‘of the faces between 0.0025 to 0.010mm (0.0001 ~ 0.0004 in), The ungrooved portion of the face below the spiral pattern i called the sealing dam. The spiral pattern shown ‘is designed to rotate ina clockwise direction as indicated by the arrows. ‘The hydrostatic forces that govern seal operation are the axial forces, termed opening force Fo and closing force Fr ‘These forces are shown graphically in Fig. 2 as pressure clstibutions acting on the front and back surfaces of the Primary ring. nthe pressure distributions shown, the open ing force Fo is composed of system pressure acting over Po. = external pressure on seal, KPa Pi = internal pressure om seal, KPa preaure at 1g, MPa force dosing, N force opening, N GD = groove inside diameter, mm BD = seal balance diameter, mm 1D. = sea inside diameter, mm ro = seal outside radius, mm i= seal inside radius, mm 1g = groove inside radius, nm seal balance radi, mm Dalanee, dimensionless k= ppm M_ = moment, Nem He = power, W = woriy, Pas = hat eped. rpm 1 pew shat sped, rpm T= temperature, @ = teaage, seus 1 = ratio of halt seeds, dimensionless = ridge widtfgrove wideh, dimensionless R= pascontani mat Ke Go Snes 5; = mas rte of ow, bg: 5! B= ange rad 4. = proore depth, am © = angular vlc, radiance & = win groove ange, degres ieee te Faz imensiontes:the spiral grooves with the pressure drop occurring over the sealing dam. Closing force Fe is composed of system pressure acting on the back surface, plus a small amount of spring force The selection ofthe balance diameter, face diameters and spiral groove diameter determines the static and dynamic ‘operation of the seal. Under dynamic conditions, the faces are separated bu biased toward opening or closing, depending upon the selection of the above diameters. This is important as it af= fects the seal during a critical period, on startups and shut- downs, when the faces make eontact Static seal balance in spiral groove seals differs somewhat ing endl face seals since pressure can penetrate s. The outer portion of the face, above the he condition Fo = Fe, The sealing dam then becomes the outer face diameter and is similar to the balance equation for contacting end face seals (2). Static seal balance in spiral groove seals is expressed as: static conditions, the seal faces may be Gb*~ BD? GP =F Seal balance is affected the greatest by changes in groove and balance diameters. By designing the seal wth a low bal- ance, the seal will be biased toward opening under static pressure. Also, the seal will achieve and maintain face sep aration ata relatively low speed if startups and shutdowns are without pressure, Seal balances below G0 percent may lead to high leakage and instability under full operating conditions as will be shown later. While static liftoff is often desirable, it may be a requirement to seal under static condi- ons. The seal must then have a higher balance to achieve this condition. However, even when balanced in this man~ ner liftoff is usually achieved with surface speeds of a few meters per second without pressure. It should be pointed ‘out that full static liftoff is achievable, but leakage under hhormal operating conditions would be excessive. Normally, when seals are designed to be biased toward static liftoff, face separation is of a magnitude on the order of surface roughness and some contact may still be present The opening force representing pressure generation of the spiral grooves under dynamic conditions is dependent upon many variables, This can be expressed as follows: Fo=f (om nud aia cal ice as ra al The variables affects down into categories of seal operating conditions and seal design parameters. Seal operating conditions consisting of speed, pressure, gas viscosity, and temperature are defined variables, The design parameters consi ridge width to groove width ratio, groove depth, seal face seal performance can be broken ‘of spiral angle, ‘etal elinge a laced el ot stich eo pee Optimum conditions kave ben ablated hy Muijerman €@) for spiral groore bearing In sels compromise mat te madein the sccon of the design parameters ang sealopeaion, Gren presureeneruson cone obined by lege pal goo angles wi corresponding smaller rag oF ge ge i,t eal ge il increme, Alternat, salle spiral groove angle wi faye Tle age iA Gone el mine Ieatage, but lover presure generation affecting seal pr patie ie hr nh vongenipiieey ora wean 10 to 30 degrees with ge width grove wi sar nea Ihave ben shown through aaa and texting tobe a precizal compromis etme sal performance and lage Under dynamic condions, the sa wil be exposed to hydro Torees fom gas presse and hydrodynamic {ores fom the spiral roves The spiral groove patorn is et rare bowen the tee. The align e- vice is Now ging eto the gar prem inthe outer feo often Sapir i ahied when dhe sa! wr teoperting gp, where the opening and sing Trees ae etl ‘a wnstant operating conditions, the amount of gas pumped inward and the pressure development are depem sentapon the daanceberween the fac, When te aes treat anal operating gap sco shear action nthe ges ote iene Ts leas move ggg pumped Sn renuing in high developed rere. The opposite i obaned wen he seing gaps are. The oping i Rabtnncd when se forces aren equim. Figure 8 insure he prewar dirs a arius sealing gaps indie cortespondingfovces achieved by the spiral grooves forthe condos shown Je seal condo, te seal wold remain at thi apcratng ya. bese of ome mechanical dinarbance, Se erate the opening force creates enlarging ee a Torr balance andthe oigial gap ees ret th seltrenoring property resting change in the ae ae gop calle snes iis defined as ee ge per fim thicknes change having units of Nim Th opal groove seal has high postive “se acalto wit presure changes and ness enabli ‘ther mechanical disturbances without face con trast, contacting face seals running with near parallel faces have a very low film stiffness. The pressure distribution is approximately wedge-shaped tegardies of the gap. The seal may be unsiable with regard to pressure disturbances, fs can be witnessed from increased and erratic leakage during those periods Film stiffness in the spiral groove seal is related to balance {in that low balanced seals will operate at a larger operating, ap, having lovee stiffness values. As was previously noted, seal balance is affected the greatest by changes in groove a7. TS a h PRMARY MATING RING RING GZ] SEALING [orennc [Looms _[sTiFNESs 3] Patent | once" ro] Fone 3] (mm) iN) wD (N/mm) ed ee ee 2| a0030s |33 687 | 331687 |3942 694 3 | o00sos |20 sea | 331607 | 76433 OUTSIDE RADUS (3 77790m INSIDE RADIUS {ra} secenn Groove RADIUS somm SAbance hasus'%,) Gsm BALANCE 1% GROOVE. ANGLE i RIDGE WIDTH /GROOVE WOTHGA Seip GROOVE. DEPTH) 005 mm PRESSURE AT 0.0. ‘45052 ie PRESSURE AT 1 tol. B40 ois ain TEMPERATURE 3ore SPEED (MEAN Dia 76 o30mns! Pg, 2-tycrodynamic pressure astbutone and balance diameters. This has dramatic effects with re gard to film stiffness and seal leakage. Using the operating conditions from Fig. 3, Table 1 shows a comparison of various seal parameters using three specific cases. Case 1 is the datum poiat taken from Fig. 3, Lowering seal bal re by a decrease in groove diameter de- creases sealing dam width and effectiveness. The alternate ‘method of achieving a lower seal balance through an ine crease in the balance diameter shows a marked change in film stiffness and leakage. This effect is due wa decrease in seal closing force, The results, while taken from a specific case, do show a general trend in the adverse effects seal stability. At this time, there are no set points at which stiff: ness values determine stability or instability, but itis known, that seals having high film stiffness are better in maintain. ing equilibrium and being able to track dynamic runout of the mating ring @). AFFECTS OF OPERATING CONDITIONS ON SEAL PERFORMANCE Hydrodynamic forces developed with gas are very weak in comparison to liquids, To achieve the hydrodynamic forces necessary for successful seal operation, a wide face is ‘necessary. This however, makes the seal rings very sensitive ‘o angular distortions. Up to this point, ideal conditions Were assumed in the theory used to explain seal operation. Pressure, temperature, shaft speed, and gas viscosity all af= fect seal performance in some manner. “Tasir |—Conpanisos oF Fiat Srv ano Linker Lrrorr cox | maser | smo | mane | stun car| sre | tesco | LZ anual : j NoPrecers aro _| coma | eevem | tam | ‘oem | gcmes) | “ome ' saz | 74030 % 00805 | soi26o1 | ooo | > a00 Conditions| From Fig 3 2 ese |r Balance sses2 | re ss 00se5 | 3572780 | ooo | > 200 Change by = Decrene 7 3» | wese | no P Saline |aiees | coos | 1098480 | a00065 | > 200 Change by Inert ina aaTonTaa] scape Beep] aerte: | ‘car's: koxamen ont [arn tom | etna) cueve © — | 2.00308] a00305 | F* Fe 1 2 [0.00025 | o00325| 0.0080 Pa | ‘SONDITIONS 7 OUTSIDE RADIUS (re) 7778mm i NSE RADLS (,) seazmm eal GROOVE. RADIUS (rg) 68am Pressure aT 00 50526P2 e 7 PRESSURE AT 10, tose oS an © pes TEMPERATURE rare SPEED (MEAN DIA) 74 030mma"* 38 ie pressure, 4 PRIMARY marin RING RING Fig. Pressure dletibutions with thermal cstrtion ‘An approximate value for seal power can be obtained by greater than the opening force. The seal would open to a ‘aleulating a moment from the equation: point where it was again in equilibrium. Since the minimum ‘operating gap has increased, the viscous drag decreases, lowering heat generation and distortion. The forces would Hf again be out of equilibrium asthe closing force would be smaller than the opening force anda new minimum sealing to derive a simplified equation expressed as: fap would be established. Ata final equilibrium condition the sealing faces would asume an angular distortion at iy = Tomtiest—09) which the inflow of heat would be equal to the hea dss T8008 pated. Through proper design and knowiedge of the Sperating conditions, this motion can normally result in an can be seen that increases in speed oscillating motion with amplitude diminishing, Figure 4 ik From this equation, Justrates thermal distortion and its effect om the pressure and viscosity would tend to increase heat generation. The operating gap h, being a function of many variables, would distribution. decrease with increasing pressure that would alio have a High gas temperatures will hve the same type of angular tendency to increase seal heat generation, To obtain an ac distortion effect on the seal rings. In cases where gas te curate value, the spiral groove and sealing dam regions peratures coupled with heat generation would cause exces: need tobe treated separately, as shown in Appendix 1.Asan sive distortion, a cooled buffer gas would be required (). ‘example of the low magnitude of heat generated, only 483. ‘Thermal distortions can also be controlled to a degree by ‘watt (0.58 hp) were generated by the seal shown in Fig. 3. selection of materials having a low coefficient of thermal Tn most cases, circulation ofthe gas to remove this heats expansion and high thermal conductivi otk ipracical waa Gua esery Museany/ibe heats Gis Seal opeeasion aected by premure inthe form fre tipated In two waya,TThe primary and mating rags wile dal and angular dinortons of the veal ring and tone of tmove the majority of teal heat, with a small portion being, he paramcter that establishes the operating gep, in most Femoved by gu leakage, The beat flow through the pri- cases the geometry ofthe primary ring is such that anges ‘mary and mating rings vill cause thermal dbtortion conlng distortion due to pressure willbe opposite of thermal dis Ths gy cura dk OD -T hls age late peomiery || wrtion, THU type of disarion ls a negative efTec =e of the gap wil affect the presnure diatrbutiona and performance ast gives rte toa diverging fuid fim having ‘inimur operating gaps The eperating gap increases toa negative stfines, Angular distortions duc to pressure are point where the forces are again in equilibrium, This can be the result of a uniformly distributed moment acting about Explined ss follows ithe seal were to maintain the ame che centroid of the seal rings. Through proper selection of ‘minimum gap when distorted, the closing force would be the geometry for both the seal rings and support points for a i ea ae Sakatathe mating ring, a near-zero. moment design can be achieved. Due to the necessity ofthe wide sealing faces, the radial cross section ofthe seal is large. This tends to minimize the radial deflections due to pressure. Material selection again plays an important role. By selection of materials having a high modulus of elasticity, radial and angular deflections can be controlled to a degree. ‘Ata defined seal geometry, the pumping effect of the spiral grooves is dependent upon pressure, speed and gas viscosity, which affects the seal operating gap. At lower speeds, the operating gap is necessarily lower to enable the Forces required to achieve equilibrium to be established, An increase in speed results in more pumping action, resulting ima larger operating gap toobtain the same end results, Gas viscosity does influence seal performance to a degree as pressure generation is enhanced by higher viscosity gases, Seal performance in the mote noticeable parameters, leak age and heat generation, would not change noticeably by viscosity changes. Lowering viscosity results in_a smaller ‘operating gap to achieve equilibrium, but leakage and heat generation only to a small degree. In general, viscosity ef fects tend to offset each other. While pumping action is de- ‘creased by lowering viscosity, viscous drag i also lowered by the same change. Leakage is seemingly unaffected since the increased leakage normally expected by a lower viscosity is offset by a smaller gap. To illastrate this, halving the viscos- ity of the seal in Fig. 3 would not resul in any noticeable change in leakage since, for this case, the operating gap ‘would change from 0.00805mm (000012. in) to 0.00241 mm (0,000095 in.) ‘The effects of pressure, speed, viscosity, and temperature interact in a complex manner, which ate interrelated to seal ‘geometry. The analysis presented, while general in nature, provides a fundamental background on the effects these ‘ariables have on seal operation and performance. For the interested reader, the equations governing seal pressure ‘generation are listed in Appendix 2. Also, further theoreti «al analysis i covered in more depth by Muijderman @) and Cheng et al 3), (3). LEAKAGE [Leakage in any seals undesiteable. In spiral groove seals, in particular, leakage is a byproduct of seal operation sine the seal operates ata specific gap. Leakage for a compressible fluid can be expressed as fol. lows: _ Slane, = Pe) “TRaTP, Tig) Figure 5 shows typical akage curves for various seal shown. The parameters that affect leakage the greatest are those which affect the operating sap. since leakage is roughly proportional to the eube of the ap. Speed and thermal distortions have the greatest effect ‘on increasing leakage at constant pressure. Speed effertson leakage are generally directly proportional and can be eal calated by a multiplier expressed as sizes at the condition Se mpc Centrifugal effects tending to lower leakage have been shown through testing and analysis to have a negligible ef fect on leakage control. Thermal distortions increase leak: age by increasing the minimm gap and by shortening the radial width ofthe dam through the change in angle. As ‘as previously shown, an incorrectly balanced sal an i- crease leakage drastically by x change in the balance forces Dam width can abo affect leakage by variations in rest tion to flow and through a change in balance. ‘The pressure differential across the seal has the single rates effect on sal leakage in addition to controlling the operating gap. Leakage, in general, is a function of the resure squared, in the laminar low region. As was shown by Gardner (6) ata point where the flow past the sealing dam ext reaches sonic velocity, choked flow occurs. At this print, the leakage slower per unit pressure rise and is now "oughly directly proportional to the rise in pressure. Ti occurs due to the fac that sonic velocity i the maxi obtainable velocity at the sealing dam exit, The leakage across the faces may bein regimes from laminar to choked flow depending upon conditions that the seal i exposed Further and more detailed analysis on flow conditions at the faces ate covered by Zuk etal), (8), TYPICAL SEALING ARRANGEMENTS ‘The conditions in which a seal operates establishes the arrangement required to be effective. Typical sealing a1- Fangements such as single, double and tandem seals are available to handle the various operating conditions to hich they will be exposed ‘The single seal (Fig. 6) is the most basic seal arrangement. ‘The seal is located directly in the gas to be sealed such that 428 pressure is exerted on the outer diameter of the pri ‘mary seal rings. O-rings, or other suitable secondary seal, ‘seal the gas at the seal chamber bore, shaft and other loca tions shown. Dynamic sealing takes place atthe primary al ‘ng faces perpendicular to the shafi. The spiral groove pat {emis located in the outer region on one of the faces. Whe? ‘peated in the proper direction, this pattern pumps ga feree, 1904 LuerecaTion enonaanel®:inward beween the faces, resulting in a clearance under dynamic conditions. Sealing is accomplished in the form of ‘pressure drop that occurs below the spiral groove pattern atthe fat surface of the sealing dar. Towiden the sealing capabilities of the single seal, the use of labyrinths may be added, as shown in Fig, 7, The addi- tion of the labyrinth allows the spiral groove seal to handle applications involving extreme temperatures, contaminated {gases oF toxic and flammable gases. The labyrinth estab- Tishes a buffer zone between the gas sealed and the spiral ‘groove seal In applications where sealing of hot, contaminated or toxic gas is required, a clean and/or cooled gas is injected into the buffer zone at a higher pressure than the gas to be sealed. The injected gas flows past the labyrinth into the process at a rate determined by the pressure differential and the labyrinth design. The spiral groove seal then seals only the injected gas. The buffer gas may be an inert gas ‘compatible with the process gas or be the process gas cooled and/or filtered as applicable. As with any type of radial non- ‘contacting seal, the low rate past the labyrinth is dependent ‘upon many variables. In some instances, the flow rate may be critical or the pressure drop across the labyrinth insuffi ent to control flow. The use of flow regulators is recom- mended under these conditions. Another possible arrangement using labyrinths is shown in Fig. 8. This is used for sealing toxic or flammable gases when a buffer gas is not feasible. The leakage in this ar- rangement goes past the primary seal into a cavity where it is vented off to a safe area. Figure 9 illustrates a double seal arrangement consisting of two stationary seals running against a common rotating ‘mating ring. In this arrangement, the labyrinth in Fig. 7 replaced by the inboard seal. The advantage of this ar angement over the labyrinth isthe amount of leakage into the process, Due tothe differences in clearance at which the spiral groove seal operates, in comparison to the labyrinth, leakage can be an order of magnitude lower. In applications where the pressure to be sealed is beyond the capabilities of a single seal, a tandem seal arrangement is used (Fig. 10). A safety backup is also provided in this arrangement. Should the primary seal fail, the outboard seal can take over as the primary seal until the equipment Joural of he Society of Tbolglets and Lubrication Engineers Fig Single aoa arrangement with bysnth jection) ' peardown, When used in high pressure applications, skdlown wil occur between the two seals due can be sh a pressure br to the leakage of the primary seal. An even pressure break- down would not occur under normal circumstances due to the differences in gas density, viscosity and the different ‘environments on the low pressure side of each seal. A theoretical pressure breakdown can be caulated based on the gas densities and leakage rates for the seals. Seal geometry can be modified to minimize outboard seal pres- sure and leakage. Alternately, the breakdown of pressure ‘can be accomplished through the use of pressure regulating valves, in addition to seal leakage. Fig. 11—Sotty tandem arangement AA seal arrangement consisting ofa spiral groove seal in tandem with a contacting seal, as shown in Fig, 11, may be used asa safety seal, buffer seal or both, Tandem seal ar- rangements are normally considered to have both seals fac- ing in the same ditection. The spiral groove seal can be lo- cated in this manner or a illustrated. In applications where the primary seal is sealing cryogenic fluids, the spiral roove seal can act as a buffer zone between the product and atmosphere. The buffer zone protects the contacting. scal from ice developing, due to contact with atmosphere, in areas where leakage may occur. Normally close clearance bushing or packing is used for this purpose, However, the spiral groove seal may be used with added advantages: 1. The amount of nitrogen used to provide the buffer zone is drastically decreased due to the sealing ability of the spiral groove seal 2, The use of the spiral groove seal allows for the outer ‘chamber to be pressurized, reducing the pressure dif ferential across the primary seal, lowering seal wear and leakage. When used as a safety seal, the spiral groove seal would normally run with a very low pressure differential. Primary seal leakage is channeled to a drainage port leading to a reservoir, If failure of the primary seal occurs, the spiral igroose seal would throttle the leakage until the equipment could be shut down, MATERIALS: Selection of face materials plays an important role in seal design and operation. In selection of face materials, many properties have to be considered. Materials having low ex: pansion coefficients and high thermal conductivities are Important in achieving good heat removal and minimizing. thermal distortions. Materials having a high modulus of elasticity and strength are desirable to minimize pressure deflections. Since some face contact will occur on equip- ‘ment startups and shutdowns, a combination of materials exhibiting fayorable mutual friction characteristics are de> sirable. A material having a low density is especially impor tant for the primary ring to allow for dynamic tracking, [event face comtact during operation. This is also important for the mating rings as it lowers centrifugal stresses encoun- tered from high speed rotation. Finally, corrosion resistance and cost must be considered in the selection. Typical prop- erties of some of the materials utilized are shown in Table 2. In a great majority of applications, a combination of a «carbon graphite primary ring versus a hard face material for the mating ring is selected. Carbon exhibits the desir: able properties of having a low density, low coefficient of ‘expansion, good corrosion resistance, and good dry run- ning frictional characteristics. Since startups and shutdowns FE “Tur Foca ORT or Face Marea Pen Dean | (2 Renin ieee Mente Goaanr |: mel tomowcrwin | Tiana | Rumer | “Stern | moe em Wk co a wire | rooms a opie 130 6s ‘ & Asci0 24000 au Bs sac 36000 tom 0 31685 Boar = tie Te 13.000 206 5 : ms 1axiot 145.000 275 6 eae | ane | | | sscios | sor 000 » v9 | sscict | es2000 ria * March, 1998 LUBRICATION ENGINEERINGare one of the critical periods of operation, where friction and wear are the highest, itis important that the flatness of the faces not be altered. ‘This is best achieved by selecting ‘one material harder than the other. Most of the wear will then occur on the softer material, allowing the harder ‘material to maintain its flaness. This in turn, helps to keep the sofier To prevent wear of the spiral grooves, this pattern is normally placed on the mating ring hhaving the harder face. This pattern can be manufactured jal, such as two ways. When using a relatively soft ma stainless steel, a chrome plating buildup of the pattern is used. In hard face base materials, such as tungsten carbide, the pattern is etched into the face of the mating ring. The most basic material combination used has a carbon primary ring running against a ‘mating ring. This combination offers the lowest cost with the ability to resist most corrosive applications by choice of various grades of carbon and stainless steel. Chrome-plated iS can be substituted for the mating ring on higher tem- perature applications due to its low coefficient of expan Generally, on pressures above 3500 kPa (500 psi) and speeds above 51 000 mms“ (10 000 fpm), carbon graphite versus tungsten carbide or titanium carbide is used. The ‘mating rings in this case are better suited to centrifugal stresses from high speed. Above pressures of 6900 KPa (1000 psi, silicon carbide may be used for the primary ring ‘material running against cither tungsten carbide or titanium carbide mating rings, In special applications, titanium carbide versus tungsten carbide may be used. This ‘combination may be restrictive due to the mass of the prix mary ring and dry running characteristies during startups and shutdowns, Sccondary seals are normally restricted to elastomeric ‘O-rings and spring-loaded U-cups using various grades of polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE). Other shapes such as a wedge or V-rings are not normally used as a considerable amount of spring force is required to achieve inital sealing This would be restrictive due to the dry running charac teristics ofthe seal and restriction on axial movement. Elas- tomeric and metal bellows are restricted to special cases since the balance diameter of the bellows change with pres- sure, affecting seal performance (6). Jhrome plated stainless stee! LABORATORY TESTING To gain knowledge and experience in the design of the spiral groove scal, continuous laboratory tests are com: ducted. Test results in concert with analysis help inthe op- fimization of design parameters to obtain. minimum 38 leakage. Evaluation of fae materi ako of prime con- ‘em for both high pressure and high speed conditions and for sartups and shutdowns ‘The sel referred t in Fig. 3 shows one set of conditions boing tested atthe time ofthis writing. Since the initial test 34385 kPa (665 psi) was successful, pressure was raised 10 5965 KPa (865 psi) at a speed of 74 030 mm. (14570 fp) with success. Leakage at the higher pressure has been 8.0006 SCMS (0.021 SCFS). Upon disassembly after 500 hours of testing, only a sight polishing was observed! on both the carbon primary ring and chrome-plated stainless Journal ofthe Society of Trbologlets an Lubrication Engines steel mating ring. This was after 100 startups and shut- downs under varying conditions of pressure. Iti also in- teresting to note that the seal ran a number of unattended hhours at full speed with no pressure differential, due to a pressure system failure with no face contact having oc curred A comparison of the spiral groove seal tested and a con- tacting face seal shows the definite advantage of the spiral {groove seal, Theoretical analysis of a contacting double seal arrangement, subject to the same conditions shown in Fig. 3, results in a power consumption of 8653 W (11.6 hp) compared to 433 W (0.58 hp) for the spiral groove seal, a savings of 95 percent, This does not take into account the power required to provide a pressurized fuid for lubrica tion and cooling of the double seals ‘CONCLUSION “The spiral groove face seal is adaptable to most gas seal- ing applications through the proper selection of the sealing arrangement, It can and has surpassed suitable operating, limits of contacting face seals through the proper design and knowledge of the conditions to which it was subject. Having a fundamental understanding ofthe seal operating characteristics can only aid in the proper selection, resulting, in successful applications. ACKNOWLEDGMENT “The information supplied in this paper is based in part con developments by the author's company. The contribu tion of J. Sedy in continued development and testing is gratefully acknowledged. NOTE: No inference should be drawn from this paper a8 10 the existence or nonexistence of patents or patent applica tions relating to the seals described herein, REFERENCES U SchoenherrK. Design Termianlogy For Mechanical End Fae Seals SAE Tien, 74, Pager #650801, (198, : 2) Muigleman, © As Spa Grave Brags Springer-Verig New Yor (a9) 1b) Cheng, H.S, Cons. ¥- and Wiech, DF. “Behavior o Hydro fn Hydrcyomi Noncontacting Face Seal” ASME oper No.6 (Pb, A Noman Se Ape Sing Go pi, 7.00 pon” Eng Ue Fp 16-19 (1875) (0) Chet 3. Canetl, Vand Chom, CY -Peformanne Caraseriie CT Spal Groove and Shrouded Rayleigh Step Profi for High Speed Nronontacing Gay Sea” ASME Paper No. 6810538, Reeeety ShecenDevelancns on Nonconacting Face Seas (rtm tthe ASLE Anna Swing, Chicago 1973, Paper 738M 7) 20k and Ludwig. Py "Anabiof Rtasona Efe oo Compresi Je Venus How Acros Shalt Face Seals adr: Eng. 28 March pp 8 9297. 2a atwg. Land Johnson, RL, "Compreable Flow Acton Seti ace Sos Prof ie 3a nt Conon Fld Srlng, Ware Paper Hepp HELGA 19 Olarch 197 (9) 2k J, Aino Fae Deformation Efe om Ga Fi Seale « ASLE Trans, 16 4 P2574 (continued on next page) Ey(continued from previous page) APPENDIX 1 for seal torque and horsepower for com. Sal + RT ~ rah P,P) 8 for the spiral groove region, where The equa pressible fluids arc ie nye SoH = HKU + WDD BH STS HiKy + AP) cota Fa syHfeota(t ) TGs Pata and. for the sealing dam APPENDIX 2 The e ons governing pressure generation for com. pressble Muids are OMS a a for the sealing dam, and dp _ Fein , 6uSesRT ‘i BS aioe for the spiral groove re mn, where the groove geometry expressions (dimensionless) are yfcotal—H\ 1-H) Ty P+ yore gsm (1+ Hy + HP) + HALL + yoo gr = (ANH cotton) roe erent erry AMITECH... the TOTAL RESOURCE for Manufacturers of METAL WORKING Fluids AMITECH supplies additives such as Emulstfiers, Emulsifier Bases, Corrosion Inhibitors, EP Additives, Lubricants, plus Specialty Formulations & Products for Manufacturers of Metal Working Fluids. Call or Fexx..Mike or Ed Zavaglia: AMITECH AMERICAN MANUFACTURING INTERNATIONAL, INC. 4 WALL STREET, OXFORD, NEW JERSEY 07863 (908) 453-3743 FAX (908) 453-3645 GREASE TACKIFIER H1501 Practical Means Of Obtaining a Controlled Tackiness" USDA APPROVED UNDER 21CFR 178.3570 FOR USE ON FOOD PROCESSING EQUIPMENT. For more information call or write: HEVEATEX CORPORATION A Tillotson Company 106 Ferry Street, P.O. Box 2573 Fall River, MA 02722-2573 oe 875-0181 - 1-800-922-0078 "ax (508) 677-0370 ‘March, 1994 LUBRICATION ENGINEERING